Room to Grow

I have been squeezing Ori into too-tight shirts- my boy hit a growth spurt and has been in need of new duds.
Based off the size of an old shirt, I made him this little pullover with a medium weight knit I found while thrifting.
I was so happy when I made my first successful placket, and have been looking for excuses to make more. It was a simple 1.5 hour project- most of the time was spent on the buttonholes.
Thankfully, he's a fan.

Sewing Enablers

I picked up sewing after summers spent visiting two very crafty grandmas. They have each been majorly inspiring and supportive, and when one was visiting this past week she took notice to the fact that my sewing space was lacking a work table.
We found this little piece at my favorite thrift store and brought it home for $9.99.
I gave it a little touch up with a new coat of paint and even found a home for it between stacks of vintage fabric and my ironing board. I am pretty into it and definitely ready to put it to use.

Blue Period

I will admit that I have never been huge on wearing the color blue, but for some reason I keep making things that would lead someone to believe otherwise.
This dress was started on a whim- I just finished a long term quilting project and wanted to make something simple that could be worn for dressing up or down. I kind of had two muses in mind: Jane Krakowski from 30 Rock meets Kate Middleton chic.
I kind of love it- I made it with a stiffer jacquard shirting from Fabric.com that turned out to be surprisingly nice for costing just $1.95/yard. I kept the sleeves and bodice a little wide with a little darting and elastic cinching at the waist, but tried to make the skirt loose without being full.
Dress: made- $3/ Woven Belt: thrifted- $1/ Purse: thrifted- $2/ Wedges: Target- $24.99

Stylish Sunset

It's been so hot that I haven't been too discerning about what I wear out lately, but I asked Danny to take a picture of my perfect summer outfit. I could probably wear it every day if the skirt wasn't so unmistakable.
My skirt was found in a Wichita thrift store- a vintage little chiffon gem that was probably hung up in someone's Grandmother's closet for years. With the original tags still attached and a spotty floral print, I knew it was coming home with me, and all it needed was to be sized down.
Top: TJ Max $7.99/Skirt: Thrifted $2.99/ Shoes: Target / Bag: Tea Market Tote

The Scranton Skirt

Lately when I have hand sewing to finish, or am just feeling particularly lazy, I have been enjoying past seasons of The Office. I am a really big fan of office looks put together for Angela's character, and between laughs I took note of a couple I wanted to recreate.

I made this skirt from a men's dress shirt that I found at a flea market. They were all labeled "irregular" (the buttons weren't properly aligned) so I picked up a couple for $.50.
After a few alterations, I ended up with a cute high waisted skirt that is office appropriate. I made notes of my alteration process, which can be found on Burdastyle.

Thrill of the Hunt

Earlier this month I had the chance to sneak away and hit the Brookyln Flea with my sister. I ended up leaving empty handed as many of the lovely vintage pieces were out of my budget- but it was a great way to see some autumn trends.
Since then I have been on the lookout for similar items, and today I scored big at a city-wide garage sale in Metuchen. It was a breezy early afternoon spent searching for vintage treasures. I packed a little picnic that we enjoyed in a nearby park, and luckily we found some cheap toys for the kids to enjoy early on so I could focus more attention on browsing the goods. 
The great thing about hitting local garage sales, smaller flea markets, and loaded estate sales is that the prices are much more reasonable- the above items set me back $7.

Pretty Sunlight + A Cleaned Room

Since having a clean sewing room is an occasion all on its own (mostly because it occurs so rarely), I felt it was necessary to take a couple pictures when I walked up and saw how pretty the early morning light was.
Besides the old Huskystar and my tools, most of the things up in the craft room were found, thrifted, or handed down. My beautiful desk was a curbside jewel, the wooden notion display was the packaging to a child's tea set, and the trinket holders are all of from estate sales.
One of my favorite things about my room is a filing cabinet with letter sized drawers. It was given to me by Danny's little sister, which she used to organize all her treasures (like stationary and candy). I like to stash works in progress, scraps and notions. The areas that are not pictured are filled with a bookcase of fabric (that still needs some work) and a basket of toys for Ori. The only thing that I don't love about my sewing room is the carpeted floors; in a couple days they will be covered in little trimmings of fabric and string.